Terla stood at her seat like a statue as she stared at the man she had forgotten.
Nick returned to his seat and after staring at each other for a moment, Terla tried to leave.
"Terla…" Nick called out and tried to catch her leaving hands but "Nick," the girl beside stopped him shaking her head.
"Let her go. She might not listen to you now."
He could only stand still, staring at the leaving figure.
Terla walked and walked until she reached a place where nobody could be found.
She was not sure why she came here or why she even ran away from the start.
She knew she would meet him again one day…but why? Why has she run away?
This is not how she had thought about their meeting. Not how she has imagined and practised.
She should have stayed cool. She could have smiled at him like meeting an old acquaintance.
But why…?
She stood there lifelessly, zoning out to the unknown.
Then, "Sister Terla.", a girl's sweet voice rang in the surrounding.
Terla turned back where she found a girl with fairy-like golden blonde hair.
She looked really cute and gorgeous with her honey doll eyes.
She wore a blinding white dress decorated with golden accessories which made her angelic figure seem like a fallen goddess.
She was such a beauty everyone wouldn't be able to help but fall for and adore.
But, Terla knew very well what was behind that angelic mask.
"Sister? You don't need to play pretend between us. Right? Young priestess of Orton."
"Right!"
The girl's voice still sounded sweet and appealing but an evil smile appeared on that cute little face.
'Dorothy Hodgkin.' Terla's expression wasn't good as she spelled the name in her mind.
Terla didn't realize but Anna was feeling no better than her.
Dorothy Hodgkin, she is the daughter of Orton's mayor and Academy's headmistress. She is also the sister of Lenox Hodgkin, who once was my bro and also Nick's bro. We were born on the same day of the same year whereas she was born at the brightest time of the day and I was born at the darkest time of midnight. And, on that very day, the priest temple received a prophecy from the spirit queen that a girl born that day at the time when nature's energy reached the fullest, will be the ruler of all lands and the light spirit king will accompany her journey.
The prophecy shook the whole "Land of peace" and she became the 'Young priestess of Orton' from the day she was born. She entered the priest temple and became a priestess everyone respected and favored unlike me, an unknown extra, who was born on the same day but in a different family and had to change her birthday record.
She has such a good reputation but it is not necessarily the case for everyone. There are those so-called anti-fans who have seen her real face. That's when the authority of being a mayor's daughter came in handy. The anti-fans once gathered to expose her evil deeds but Dorothy moved to our school in Stonesbarrow for one year and the rumours all died down in one day as word of jealousy on the street.
Really, I once believed that the rumours were spread out of jealousy and treated her like a sister but …
"You are not thinking of making up with him just because he sat beside you today, right?"
*humph*
"Nonsense!"
"Hee, that's good. I would be disappointed if you do. I love him very much, you know, sister?"
"If you say so, why did you even break up with him from the start? I could say he treated you well."
"Hmm… how cheap. How could I tie him up when I was not the one on his mind? It pains me when he's sad."
"What did you do to Hazel?"
*hee hee he*
"Oh, I can't hide anything from you sister. How good it would be if you stayed stupid and innocent like before!"
Terla frowned at her words, "So, it was really your doing."
*hee hee*
"I am really sad to hear such harsh words, sister. I just did what a priestess should have done."
"You…"
"Mmm… he didn't love her that much anyway. He was just being reluctant to break up and was afraid of becoming a cheater. He was lying to himself saying he loved her. He is such a good man, isn't he?"
Maybe I would have agreed or maybe I wanted to believe so.
Dorothy is a villainess but of a heroine that wasn't me.
Back then, I thought we were in the same boat. We were like two concubines waiting for his love when he said he loved his queen. But in the end, even when she became the rival concubine of the queen, Hazel, I was no more than a concubine trapped in the lonesome palace.
"Sister, don't be so upset. You would never be my rival, not when you had nine magic types and more when you only have three dull crystals, hahaha…"
"So, what did you get from their break up? Right, he took you as his next girlfriend but as you said you didn't get his mind."
"Hmm…? You really think he loved that girl? That's right, I encouraged her to break up but you know what? She was not my concern but you. Because she broke up with him after you talked with Hazel, he thought it was your doing. How sad, isn't it? To see his loved one shatter his faith he's been trying hard to hold on."
"What nonsense are you spouting?!!"
*hahaha*
"It is no bullsh**t. You know it too, right? He liked you first. He just couldn't confess caz' he already had Hazel when he realized."
"To be honest, I am not the one who broke their relationship but you. Their relationship wouldn't have changed if you didn't appear."
"It's your fault."
"No, not my fault. I asked Hazel, I apologized to her for bothering him in their relationship but she told me I wasn't any bother to her. She told me she never see me that way…"
"And you believe that? With her temper, you think she will actually tell you the truth?"
"No, I don't mean it. I don't mean it, I had no intention of getting between them. I just wanted to stay as a friend. I didn't want a relationship either."
"Who would believe your words…?"
'Terla!'
'Terla, pull yourself together! Don't fall into her trap!"
Inside, Terla's inner world was shaking as if it would break down soon.
'Master…'
'What's wrong with Master.'
'No, we can't just stand still. We must do something before she completely brainwashed her.'
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'Wait…'
Then Terla smiled all of a sudden, "Got you."
Suddenly, all the clothes and accessories on Dorothy started to move, and a rune appeared under her.
"Ligabis eam usque…" with Terla's word Dorothy was tied up by her own clothes and accessories, the sand and dirt started to storm up as they bound and tied Dorothy down.
"Terla!!!!!!" Dorothy yelled and bawled as her hands glowed in pale gold light in the attempt of destroying Terla's rune.
"Hahaha, that's right. I am not an opponent to your brain-washing ability or to your battling skills but I possess things you don't and remember I'm not the old Terla you knew."
Not long ago…
"...a priestess should have done."
"You…"
'Right…, that ability of hers.'
Terla laughed heartily and rushed away from the place…, 'Feel so good to have you all back, my lovely magics.'
'Terla, you…'
'Anna, thank you for calling me out. I would have been brainwashed again if you didn't remind me.'
'So you knew. She had that ability.'
'Yeah, I had once been a victim so I guessed it. Do you know where she learned that ability?'
'There is only one person in the world who likes to brainwash people to her side.' Anna answered as she clenched her tiny fingers.
( spirits as they become upper-grade, gain a unique ability of their own, and these abilities can be passed on to a successor. Unlike spiritualists, priests and priestesses can't contact spirits directly and they are devoted to spirits as a form of religion. )
'Oh? It seems like you know her very well. A friend of yours?'
*hmph*
'Friend…'
'Not your business. You only need to know her as an old acquaintance of mine. But be careful, it's best not to run into her yet.'
'Okay, but did you see that? I used two types of magic at once.'
*Ahem* 'I possess more than nine types of magic. It's cool, right? Don't you think you have chosen the right master?'
'How ingenious of you to use material magic that way.'
'Ahh, is that a compliment?'
'Silly girl.'
*Hee*
Anna's words sounded ironic but a gentle smile of a proud mother was blooming on her face.
'Don't go overboard too soon. Your silly tricks can't hold her long.'
'I know. Isn't it why I am running away right now? I must go back to the ceremony ground in time.'
Then Terla remembered, 'Wait. Why am I running when I could just teleport?'
Terla quickly drew a teleport rune and…
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Terla sneaked to the side and to her relief, both the girl and the "stranger" were not there.
*sigh* 'Finally.'
But…., when she looked at the ceremony platform, she saw that very man staring straight at her.
'Oh sh**.'
She tried unseeing him but he was not the only one looking at her….
A group of boys was standing beside him.
Just as she saw them, the group looked freaking out as they too looked around as if they haven't seen her.
'These kids….'Seeing them like that, Terla wanted to laugh.
They were once my beloved bros after Jack.
"Now, we are here to award and celebrate our heroes of the year," the host announced gleefully.
"So, let's welcome …, our great leader,"
"Lenox…" Terla voiced.
"Lenox Hodgkin, the eagle."
*screech*
A golden brown eagle flew down from the sky and rested on the shoulder of a boy with long blonde hair. The boy walked out gracefully and he raised his gold-framed glasses as he stood straight and cold.
"Awww….!!!!!!"
"Sir Lenox…."
"Lenox!!!"
*girls cheering*
"Next, our graceful knight, Nicholas Aphelia, the tiger."
Terla rolled her eyes hearing the name.
"_____"
*quiet*
If you ask, "Why?"
At the seatings for ruling families and authorities, a girl was glaring fiercely at Terla's seat.
No one dared to mouth about her dear ex.
"Ahem," even the host had to clear his throat before continuing,
"Our tank,"
"Koda (little bear)." Terla smiled cheekily.
"Koda Arnau, the bear."
A chubby brown-skinned boy walked out of the group and stood beside the other two, looking strong and indifferent.
He seemed to be an introvert like his two bros but only close friends would know how kind and friendly he actually was.
"Our charming assassin,...Mayar Phalen, the wolf."
"P.M." Terla stared at the boy in a cloak as dark as midnight.
As he uncovered the cloak, a face as charming as the full moon of midnight, covered by a dark-grey wolf cut (haircut) was revealed. He was such an appealing man wearing all dark except for his white shirt which hid part of his endearing chest abs.
"Wo….!!!!!!"
Almost all the girls in the stadium shouted and cheered for the charming man.
"Drop dead king!!!"
True. With his assassin skills, he could make anyone of his level drop dead, but that's not what they mean. As you all might have guessed, he can make any girl drop dead with his charm.
"Next up, our soft-hearted support,..."
"Thila, the healer."
"Aceso Thila, the healer."
A boy with silvery-grey hair holding a wand made of pine wood, came out to stand beside the others.
He looked like a child compared to other members possibly because of his height or small body structure, but he is actually the second eldest in the group.
"And last but not least, Guinevere Hazel, the mage."
"Hazel…"
"So, our heroes as a group brought us the honour of the whole land top 2 and one more in solo duelling. As to congratulate them, I hereby request our mayor to come forward and present the award."
*applause*
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"At most gratitude to our mayor."
"Now comes our school's graduation ceremony…. As per our first event on the list, I would like to announce our top position holders."
"The tenth on the list goes to…."
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"Our top 3 goes to Nefertari Dilay…."
"Sister Tari?"
A girl with ocean-tinted dark grey eyes and a waist-length golden-brown ponytail walked onto the stage.
Terla face-slapped herself, 'God, my memories. She was just sitting beside me and still couldn't remember. How embarrassing!'
The girl on the stage smiled seeing Terla's expression.
( Tari was her sister like best friend she had known in the first year of academy. But, she moved to 'Hero School' next year, together with Violet, her cousin. )
"....our first runner up is.... Right, I know everyone has guessed, Nicholas Aphelia from 'Hero School'. Mister, please come and receive your award already."
Nick walked up the stage laughing and shaking his head.
"Now the most exciting part, which is not that exciting anymore, the most outstanding student of the year, our first prize winner, Dorothy Hodgkin from 'School of Sorcery', our honour, the young priestess."
Dorothy, smiling sweetly, went up and received her prize as everyone cheered for her.
"Now comes the time for us to receive our graduation certificates….please come out when you hear your name."
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"Terla Ophelia, School of Sorcery, mastery, unregistered."
Terla received the certificate and nothing special happened.
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"Angelina Arthur, School of Sorcery, mastery in creation magic and water magic."
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"Mara Esmeralda, School of Sorcery, mastery in creation magic, organic magic and taming."
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"Violet Gardiner, Hero School, mage, profession in plant and cloth manipulation."
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# # #
"Before we conclude the ceremony, I would like to announce an important event happening soon. Some of you might have got the news but for those who haven't heard, the Hunting Contest, which is held every 60 years in the Land of Peace, is coming up again this year.
I would like to invite all the graduate students to participate in this wonderful once-in-a-lifetime event. Any graduated students, whether from Hero School or the School of Sorcery, can register for this event…"
"Hunting Contest?" *sigh* Terla sighed thinking, 'With my state like this, what would I do even if I registered.'
"Only one thing, the event this year, would be a little bit special. That is, special guests from the Theo Kingdom have been invited to witness the event. Being a special event, special awards are to be expected…"
'Special guests from Theo?' the words caught Terla's attention completely.
'Even if I don't get any prize, Theo…'
'You are not going to register, right?' Anna interfered.
'Can't I?'
"Unfortunately, only 100 students from each academy are allowed in this contest. So, if you want to participate, you will have to go through an assessment test."
'Assessment test? Oh god.' Terla was disheartened.
'What's the reason?'
'Theo, it's not my ultimate goal, but I need to reach there first for my freedom.'
'Didn't your parents say they will send you there?'
'Hope. But it is not sure yet if they can afford all the expenses or not. There is also a possibility that I will not be accepted.'
"Now, we will start the assessment test here. All the candidates, please come forward."
'Anna, I must go!'
As she walked to the stage, past memories of her second time in front of the sacred stone were running through her mind.
"Dorothy Hodgkin, 6 magic crystals, light, elements, creation."
"Nicholas Aphelia, 539, Level 4 Knight."
"Lenox Hodgkin, 570, Level 4 Summoner."
"Koda Arnau, 521, Level 4 Warrior."
"Mayar Phalen, 568, Level 4 Assassin."
"Aceso Thila, 538, Level 4 Healer."
"Nefertari Dilay, 517, Level 4 Knight."
"Angelina Arthur, 2 magic crystals, creation, water."
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More candidates passed and Terla's turn came.